From New Airbnb Plus, Properties With More Amenities

Enrique Rogers |Friday, February 23, 2018

Airbnb reveals new hotel-like service called Airbnb Plus

Airbnb Plus is being marketed as a more standardized style of service that is "verified for quality" and includes a set of amenities one might typically find in a hotel. Today, millions of people every night do just that.

10 years ago, Airbnb co-founders Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia inflated 3 airbeds in their San Francisco apartment and started what has become a global phenomenon in travel.

Chesky said the company would be adding as many as 1000 new categories.

Airbnb will also add options of Airbnb for family and Airbnb for work. Rather than just booking a hotel at a luxury resort you find on TripAdvisor, Airbnb is trying to build the credibility that it can offer unique experiences you won't find in those hotel environments - whether that's a tiny apartment in the middle of Shinjuku, Japan, to a handsome condo in the middle of Ponta Delgada in the Azores. After the update, which will launch in winter, the site will be adding four new property types to help travellers find the right space for their trip, 'Vacation Home, ' 'Unique Space, ' 'B&B, ' and 'Boutique'.

As Airbnb has tried to begin turning itself into a kind of experience machine with the launch of Experiences, it's trying to cater itself as an alternative and more robust option in the hospitality industry.

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Airbnb is dispatching inspectors to rate a new category of properties listed on its home-rental service in an effort to reassure travelers they're booking nice places to stay. All seven property types will launch to guests this summer.

Airbnb is taking on high-end luxury hotels with Airbnb Plus, a subset of homes from only the highest-rated hosts. In San Francisco, for example, after initially fighting city officials, Airbnb in May agreed to kick hosts off the platform if they didn't register with the city - a practice the company put into place at the beginning of this year. This is following its purchase past year of the home rental company Luxury Retreats. The company is launching this feature with Collections for families and those traveling for work.

Airbnb today is rolling out a few new additions to their home-booking system, including new tiers that are aimed at higher-end customers called Airbnb Plus and Beyond by Airbnb. This new tier is reserved for homes that have been "inspected and verified in person against a 100+ point checklist covering cleanliness, comfort, and design", Airbnb wrote in a news release. These will enjoy benefits such as top placement, in-home services and premium support. Beyond Airbnb tier properties will include some of the finest, most luxurious properties the site has to offer, along with custom experiences.

There's a $149 application fee for hosts to get their properties on Airbnb Plus. In comparison, Airbnb users are generally reliant on the accuracy of the original listing and other visitors keeping that honest with their post-stay reviews. The Superguest trial launches with 10,000 people this summer before being rolled out to all guests later in the year.

Later this year, Airbnb will also recognize its best guests with a new guest membership program offering benefits across the entire trip.

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